


Thinking it could be different

by Cirkne



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, M/M, kindaichi is oblivious, kunimi is in love with kindaichi, kyoutani is a trans girl and goes by Ken bc tarou is masculine, yahaba and ken are v platonic roommates/qps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 06:40:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4596723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cirkne/pseuds/Cirkne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ken has a crush on Iwaizumi. Yahaba is a better person than he seems. They watch a movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking it could be different

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the au of a rp group I'm in where the high schools are actually colleges and everything is gay.
> 
> To Mia because she's a good Yahaba to my Kyoutani and invited me to watch hsm.

Ken can hear the team in the living room. Yahaba invited everyone over to watch a musical. It's nice, knowing the team is bonding. Ken never had friends before. They were the weird kid with old hand me downs from their brothers, always too big. They're not surprised other kids didn't want to be friends with them. It helped, though. It meant they had more time to study and by the end of high school they had a full scholarship at a college where they could study veterinary nursing. Veterinary nursing wouldn't be the best job, not actual veterinary but it would pay and Ken was happy just to get a chance at college.

By the time they figured out their major Ken already knew they didn't want to live with their family. They think, in some way, their stepfather knew. Noticed. Both the way Ken looked at boys and how they never wanted to be manly, at all. They managed to hide it for a while. Both from themselves and their family. Eventually, though, they had to come to terms with the fact they weren't the son their mother wanted or a son, at all.

Cutting off ties with their family was scary but it had to be done and they showed up at their new place with a single, really old, suitcase. They had packed a total of three shirts, one sweater and two pairs of really worn out jeans. They figured they'd deal until they got a job and saved up some money to buy stuff. Their new roommate, Yahaba, however, had taken one look at them, shaken his head and dragged them out to shop.

He had asked why Ken had almost no stuff with them when they stopped at a coffee place but when they changed the subject, he didn't bring it up again. Ken learned, the same day, that Yahaba was rich and although sarcastic and mean with his words, he was actually kind and was more than happy to buy Ken stuff. Even when Ken said they didn't need it, to which Yahaba had given them a look and continued shopping.

Yahaba was in college for musical theatre and probably, most likely, didn't care about why Ken wanted to go into veterinary nursing but he had listened anyway. And when Ken had teared up talking about the abuse animals face, Yahaba pretended not to notice. Yahaba was a good person even if Ken would have never said it out loud. He was also Ken's first friend, ever.

Ken didn't know how friendships work and when he was allowed to get angry or want his space or if the way Yahaba acted was normal for how friends act. They didn't know if all friends cuddled watching bad musicals and went to see the other's performances and were there to pretend to be dating them when someone couldn't take a "no". They had found that they didn't care and then, a lot later, when they finally told Yahaba that in their second year of high school Ken showed up with a broken arm and had to tell everyone they fell out of a tree even though it was their stepfather that broke it and also how, even though they didn't expect it anyway, they had gotten upset that no one wanted to sign their cast, they realized that they had loved Yahaba. If not the way that couples love each other, they had still loved Yahaba and he was the first person Ken loved because it felt right and not because they had to.

And it did feel right. Because Yahaba listened to Ken talk about their crush on the volleyball team's ace and held their hand in crowded places. He called Ken pretty instead of handsome and filled their closet with skirts, even if Ken wasn't brave enough to wear them outside the apartment. Yahaba kept reminding them they're loved and didn't complain that Ken didn't know how to show love themselves.

Just the day before Yahaba had gone to the shelter that Ken volunteered at and adopted Cerberus, Ken's favorite dog.

So, it's nice knowing that the team is bonding and that if they tell someone they have friends they aren't lying about it.

It's been about an hour and half (not that Ken had been looking at the clock, not at all) since the chattering in the living room started when Ken finishes the paper that's due in two days. They stand up, leaving their laptop on and walk to the living room.

"Hello," they say from the end of the couch and shuffle, feeling horribly out of place when everyone looks at them but then Yahaba is standing up to hug them and they're ok again. "I finished my paper."

Kindaichi greets them with a grin and Kunimi nods, saying hello as well.

"Can I join?" they ask and then bite the inside of their cheek looking at Kunimi and Kindaichi, pressed against each other, Kunimi's head on Kindaichi's shoulder and Yahaba taking up the rest of the couch. It feels like they're intruding. "If you do not mind," they hurry to say. "If you do, that's ok but if you don't I-"

"You can join us," Yahaba interrupts them. "Even Iwa is here." Yahaba motions to the armchair at the other end of the couch where Iwaizumi is sitting, eyes closed.

"Oh. Iwaizumi," Ken says, suddenly flustered. "Hello. Hi. Hey. Hello." They wince. "I mean hi. Once. Hello."

Yahaba smirks and Kunimi gives them a knowing look. Iwaizumi, thankfully, is probably sleeping because he doesn't open his eyes. Ken sits on the floor, their back against the couch just under Yahaba.

"Kunimi made food," Yahaba says, gesturing at the table. "Take anything if you want."

"It's all really good," Kindaichi says, happily. "Kunimi's an amazing cook."

"I'm a culinary student, I have to be," Kunimi answers easily but Ken catches the embarrassment in their voice, turns to them to see their cheeks flushing pink and Yahaba looking at them, smirking.

Ken reaches for a cupcake with blueberries and turns back to the movie. There's not a lot left and Ken listens to Yahaba make comments like "How did the other team know?" and "This happened over two weeks and they're already in love" and "Ryan's so gay, he's my favorite". Ken tries to talk back and takes comfort in how easy it feels to do so.

"Wanna watch the second one?" Yahaba asks after the movie ends but is met with silence and when Ken turns to look, they can see both Kunimi and Kindaichi sleeping. Yahaba takes a picture of the two. Then, turns to Ken.

"Iwa's asleep too," he whispers. "Wanna carry him to bed?"

"I hate you," Ken whispers back, suddenly aware that Iwaizumi is there, in the same room again. 

"No you don't," Yahaba smiles. "You love me."

Ken makes a noise which is supposed to be agreement but they hope it doesn't sound so. Yahaba reaches out to touch their hair, gently.

"Cerberus in your room?" he asks.

"In the kitchen, I think," Ken answers. "I should probably feed it."

They stand up and walk to the kitchen, getting the food Yahaba bought. Cerberus is sleeping by the counter. Ken crouches to pet its head and then puts the food in its bowl. A moment later, Yahaba is behind them.

"I woke up Kunimi and Kindaichi," he says. "Left Iwa for you."

"Yahaba," Ken starts, their voice a little strangled.

"Kidding," Yahaba chuckles, takes the food out of Ken's hands to put it back. "Everyone's heading home though so you should go say goodbye."

Ken listens but stops before they walk into the hallway. Kindaichi is, although just woken up, being his usual loud self and talking about the movie. Ken can hear Iwaizumi say something and decides not to go. It's not like Iwaizumi even knows Ken was there so it doesn't matter.

"Iwa, can you come here for a bit?" they hear Yahaba call after a moment. And as they try to move away from the door, they are met by Iwaizumi.

"Oh, hello Ken," Iwa says. "Thanks for having us over. Hope we weren't too loud, Yahaba said you have a paper to write."

"Oh," Ken staggers. "I finished already. I caught the end of the movie," they explain. "You were asleep, though."

"A shame," Iwaizumi says, then leans in a little closer and whispers: "Don't tell anyone but I'm not big on musicals. Team bonding, though," he says steadying himself. "Figured it would be good to come."

Then, he's walking over to Yahaba and Ken feels their cheeks flush. They hurry to their room. A few minutes later Yahaba comes in just to grin at them.

"What?" Ken asks, trying to sound annoyed but there's a smile on their face.

"Nothin' at all," Yahaba smiles and leaves. A few moments later Yahaba's playing a song that Ken recognizes as Should've Been Us because Yahaba sings it at practice and motions to Iwaizumi just to mess with Ken.

He keeps the song on for an hour before Ken yells at him to turn it off. Yahaba lets Ken talk about how much they like Iwaizumi in apology and later that night, when Ken can't sleep, Yahaba pats the space next to him and tells Ken that having a crush on Iwaizumi makes sense and he doesn't say that Iwaizumi likes them back because he doesn't but he holds Ken's hand and that's enough.


End file.
